


My Dearest Finnian

by Rachael_Rothman



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Budding relationships, Comedy, Drama, Finny's a sweetheart, Friendship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-19 19:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7375279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachael_Rothman/pseuds/Rachael_Rothman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finnian is a sweetheart who just wants to make new friends. Sometimes, friends are found in the most unexpected of places.</p><p>Friends, and maybe something more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mr. Charles Phipps

**Author's Note:**

> CHAPTER I:
> 
> Charles Phipps pays a visit to the Phantomhive manor and meets their adorable gardener, Finnian.

   
Finnian hummed to himself a merry tune as he watered the freshly planted gardenias from Madame Courtney’s flower nursery. He inhaled, breathing in the sweet scent, and gazed towards the stretch of blue sky, feeling his heart swell in pure joy of being outside in the wonderful outdoors.  
  
He heard footsteps crunch the crisp grass behind him and stiffened out of instinct.

“Good afternoon,” A deep, baritone voice said. Finnian turned around, smiling when he saw who it was. “I’m here to deliver a message to Lord Phantomhive, from Her Majesty Herself.”  
  
“Kind sir!” Finnian exclaimed, leaping to his feet, eyes shining. “It’s been a while!”  
  
Charles Phipps smiled, holding out a gloved hand. The gardener’s excitement was contagious. Finnian giggled and removed his dirty glove, putting his smaller hand in the butler’s larger one.

“Yes, it’s been a while since our first meeting. I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced…?”  


 “Finnian! My name is Finnian, sir! But you can call me Finny!” 

 “My name is Charles Phipps. But just Phipps is fine.” 

 “Mr. Phipps it is then!” Finnian insisted. “Mr. Sebastian wouldn’t approve of me calling a superior without a title.” He explained. 

The butler chuckled to himself, letting go of Finnian’s slightly calloused hand. From all the rough gardening work, he presumed. “He has taught you well.” Phipps remarked.

“Gee, thanks!” Finnian said, flushing at the praise. “Would you like me to show you in through the back door? The young master and Mr. Sebastian went out on an errand awhile ago, they should be back very soon.” 

“That would be lovely, thank you.” 

 “Right! Follow me then!” Finnian saluted Phipps jokingly and began to march back towards the manor. Phipps felt his inner _moe_ scream at how cute the gardener was, but managed to keep his composure. 

 As a lover of all things cute, Finnian definitely made the list. However, as Her Royal Majesty’s butler, he had to maintain a certain image to be polished and cool on the surface. 

The two headed across the garden under the warm afternoon sun.

* * *

  
“Would you like anything to drink, Mr. Butler?” Mey-Rin said, smiling as she adjusted her glasses. “We’ve a large selection of teas, that we do!”

 “That’s quite all right, thank you,” Phipps said, holding up a hand. “I’m fine.” 

 He watched the Phantomhive servants as they began their preparations for dinner. Bard, the chef, began to boil a large pot above the stove, while Mey-Rin headed into the next room to prepare the cutlery.  

He eyed a snake slithering across the stone floor and wondered where their peculiar footman was.

Finnian sat nearby Phipps’ feet, peeling some potatoes. 

It was then that Phipps noticed, the gardener still wore the hat he had hastily fixed for him during their first meeting. 

This bothered Phipps. Did Ciel Phantomhive not supply his servants with enough salary to maintain or replenish their belongings? 

“Finnian, have you not seen to buying a new hat?” Phipps inquired, fingertips moving forward to brush the stitches of the patchwork flower he’d sewn on. 

“Oh!” Finnian flinched at the touch. Phipps pretended not to notice. 

“W-Well, the young master brought us all out for a little trip to London to get some new things! He bought me a new hat, but… I’ve kind of taken a liking to this one.” Finnian pointed to the red patchwork he’d bestowed upon that humble straw hat. “It’s really cute! Thank you so much for helping me that day!” 

Finnian beamed at Phipps, his eyes sparkling like jewels, teeth a blinding white and his cheeks flushed with pleasure. Goodness, even his hair seemed to radiate like rays from the sun!

Phipps felt heat crawl up his neck and into his cheeks. He cleared his throat and tugged lightly at his collar— _lightly_ , for his tie had to remain intact. He was a top-class butler, after all.

“You’re very welcome, Finnian.” He said, giving the youth a smile of his own, noticing the way Finnian’s cheeks flushed even pinker. 

They were interrupted by the sound of a bell ringing. One of the room service bells were going off— more specifically, the bell from the master’s study. 

“Oh! The young master is back!” Bard noted, exhaling a plume of smoke. “Finny, can you show Mr. Queen Butler up? I can’t leave this stove or Sebastian’s gonna yell at me again.” 

“Mhm! Sure! Follow me, Mr. Phipps sir!” Finnian said, leaping to his feet. They left to the sound of Bard humming an old hymn.

 “Sir?” Phipps teased, once they were out the kitchen and in the hallway. Finnian laughed nervously. 

“It’s hard to kick a name-calling habit once you’ve begun!” He whined, turning his doe-like eyes to Phipps, who quickly looked away. 

_Those eyes are dangerous_ , he thought darkly to himself, as Finnian began to hum, a little spring in his step evident. 

As they walked through the manor’s halls, the young gardener continued to hum softly to himself, his hands swinging wildly as he skipped and walked simultaneously, making sure Phipps could keep up. 

Phipps, on the other hand, felt his eyes being drawn down to the boy’s… _posterior_. It made for fine sightseeing as they walked through the Phantomhive manor.

He noticed the way those pants hugged what seemed to be a delightfully bouncy behind. Supple flesh, just waiting to be taken in by large, gloved hands and squeezed, extracting the most delightful squeals from petal pink lips— 

“Mr. Phipps? We’re here,” Finnian said, smiling and pointing to the oak door in front of him. 

The butler jerked ever so slightly and cleared his throat. Such lecherous thoughts. What was it about this boy that made him lose his composure?

He lifted a hand and knocked twice on the oak door, feeling Finnian’s body heat against his sleeve as he leaned close. Too close. 

“Come in,” There was the unmistakable drawl of the head of the Phantomhive household. The Queen’s butler turned the doorknob and stepped into the room, Finnian following close behind him. 

Ciel raised his eyebrows, not expecting Phipps to appear. 

“Mr. Charles Phipps. To whom do I owe the pleasure?” He remarked, twirling a fountain pen around his dainty fingers. His butler, Sebastian Michaelis, who seemed to follow the Earl like a shadow, gave a curt bow. 

“Her Majesty has requested that I deliver this to you.” The white-clad butler produced an envelope from his breast pocket, placing it onto the Earl’s desk. “It is an invitation to a gala in celebration of Prince Edward’s forty-seventh birthday.”

“Do give Her Majesty my gratitude for this generous invitation,” The Earl said, lying through his teeth. It was no secret that the Earl had a strong hatred for social events. “Will that be all?” 

“Yes, your lordship. I’ll be on my way, no need to send me out,” He knew the Earl would not have offered either way. “Good day to you, Earl Phantomhive, Mr. Sebastian.” Phipps bowed, straightened, and turned around, heading for the door. 

As he passed Finnian, he gave the gardener a smile. Finnian giggled and gave him a little wave. 

“Nice seeing you again, Mr. Phipps! I hope we see each other again, soon.” The gardener said earnestly. 

 “Likewise, Finnian. It was a pleasure.” 

He closed the oak door behind him, smiling once more as he heard the strawberry blonde’s delighted laughter and Sebastian chastising him for being so familiar with one of the Queen’s household.

 


	2. Mr. Lau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER II: 
> 
> Lau wanders into the garden out of boredom. He leaves the garden anything but bored.

 

Lau exhaled a plume of cigar smoke, wrinkling his nose at the odd taste. 

“How is it?” Klaus asked, stroking his beard. 

“I’ve tasted rice with more flavour than this,” Lau sighed, shaking his head and handing back the blunt. “This simply won’t sell in Shanghai. It doesn’t suit my people’s tastes, and it is too overpriced.”

Klaus hummed, stubbing out the failed product. “Well then, there’s no reason to continue financing them. They’ve failed to deliver me sufficient profit over the last six months.”

Lau laughed, sliding back into the sofa and swinging his legs over the armrest. 

“You’re so mean, Klaus! Won’t their company fold without your support?” He sang, Lau’s eyes slowly opening to glance at the Englishman.

“And your point is?” 

Lau laughed, his head tilting back ever so slightly. The British were so cold. Able to leave their so-called _partners_ dangling from a cliff, ready to plummet down into hell, without batting an eyelid. 

“Nothing, nothing at all! Hm… I’m getting a little peckish. I wonder what they’ve prepared for dinner?” The Chinese man stood from his place and left the room, ignoring Klaus’ raised eyebrow.

The door clicked shut behind him.

He sighed. Maybe he should have stayed in the room. It was way too early for Sebastian to be making dinner. But it would be too embarrassing to turn back now.

It was two o’ clock in the afternoon, and there was nothing to do before the Earl’s little dinner party. It was to celebrate Klaus’ return to England. Though Klaus was hardly a man to be celebrated, Lau thought bitterly to himself. 

The British… they were like a poison. A poison too strong and clustered to suck out— Lau halted this line of thinking. It simply wouldn’t do to have his hatred show. After all, he was here for fun, not for business. He shouldn’t have accepted Klaus’ invitation to talk about business.

They were vastly different in the way they operated. Lau held his partners in close regard. There was a strong sense of brotherhood amongst his men, his women and himself. Klaus was the total opposite. 

But it _was_ business. Maybe he was just prejudiced? 

Lau scratched his sleeve as he walked down the grand hallway, his steps silenced by the rich maroon carpet.

Normally he and Ran Mao would invade the master’s study and tease the cute young Earl, but she was down with a slight bout of the flu back at their headquarters, being looked after by his girls. 

It felt odd to be slinking around the Phantomhive mansion without her. 

“I guess I’ll go for a little stroll. Some fresh air would be nice.” 

Lau headed for the entrance to the garden. 

* * *

 

“Wooow. I’ve never seen these before,” Lau noted, fingering the odd hybrid of rose and lily. “The Earl sure likes collecting weird things.”

He noticed some smoke coming from the corner of the mansion, and a little glimmer of glass reflecting light from the sun. 

The greenhouse. He’d never been in there before. 

Maybe it was worth taking a look at. 

* * *

 

“ _Waaah_!” A loud and anguished cry peaked Lau’s curiosity as he quickened his pace, gathering his long silk robes in his hands. It simply wouldn’t do to get dirt on them.

He found a strawberry-blonde boy crying over a… snake? He held it in his hands, wailing and sobbing and making all kinds of noises that made Lau’s hair stand on end. 

It was the Phantomhive gardener, the one with the freakish strength. He’d seen the boy lift a three meter tall Donatello statue above his head without batting an eyelid. 

Said boy was sobbing into the snake (weird), which seemed to be unconscious, or maybe dead, who knows? There was a mini-bonfire of leaves on his right. Lau began to have an inkling of what he was so upset about.

“Hello, gardener! How goes there?” Lau sang, swinging his long sleeves and stomping his feet through the stray leaves comedically. 

“Mr. Laaau!” Finnian wailed, running up to him and holding the snake up to his face. It didn’t seem to phase Lau, though. He merely smiled. “I killed Emily! I killed her, and now Snake is going to hate me and all the other snakes are never going to let me go near them again and then—“

“Eh? Slow down. I can’t understand a word you’re saying!” Lau laughed, shaking his head. This silly little boy. Why the Earl decided to hire him — with the exception of his demonic strength — was a mystery. He was clumsy, loud and overly emotional. He often saw the boy damage more flowers than he actually managed to grow. 

“Mr. Lau… I killed Snake’s friend! I was raking the leaves and when I set them on fire I noticed Emily’s tail,” Finnian tenderly set the snake onto the ground. “Sticking out from the bottom of the pile! She must have crawled in to get warm and now…!” 

Lau hummed, squatting next to the sobbing boy. He opened his eyes and placed his index and middle fingers on the snake’s throat, in-between the skull and the beginning of the spine. 

There was a pulse. 

“She’s not dead. She’s just a little sick. Breathed in some of that toxic smoke, probably.” Lau explained, then nearly fell onto his butt when the gardener lunged at him, eyes sparkling with hope. 

“Really! Oh _really_! Emily’s alive! _Thank goodness_!” Finnian wept, clutching his shirt tightly. “B-But Snake’s going to be so angry I made his friend fall sick…” 

The merchant cringed inwardly at those guilt-ridden eyes. He hated dealing with overemotional people, hated seeing their teary gazes. It was annoying. But he somehow couldn’t find it in his heart to ditch this stupid, naïve little boy. 

An image of a younger, crying Ran Mao crouching over their father’s dead body appeared in his mind. He swallowed, hard.

“Doesn’t Mr. Snake have medicine for his little pets?” Lau sighed, flopping backwards onto his bum. Silk robes be damned. 

“They’re not _pets_! They’re friends!” Finnian protested, a little crinkle on his brow. Lau sighed again and hummed. 

“Alright, Mr. Gardener! No need to get so worked up!” Lau huffed, causing Finnian to gasp and cover his mouth with gloved hands.

“I-I’m sorry, Mr. Lau! I forgot my place! Please forgive me!” He dove into a little bow, causing the merchant to chortle in amusement.

“Oh no, it’s nothing, you silly boy. That stiff butler isn’t around anyway, there’s no need to worry about formalities here.” 

“You’re too kind, Mr. Lau!” Finnian said, gently stroking Emily’s unconscious body. 

Lau turned his gaze to the greenhouse he’d intended to explore. An idea popped into his head, and he poked the gardener on the cheek. 

“Hey, there are herbs in there, right?” 

“Yes! We boast a large collection of over 80 species of herbs and plants, sir! From all over the world!” Finnian boasted proudly. He paused, looking sheepish. “Though most of them were planted by Mr. Sebastian…”

“Wooow, that’s pretty neat! Say, have you ever heard of _hong zao_?” 

“H-Hong…?”

“Oh, whoops. I meant red dates. Dried ones, specifically.” Lau said, tapping his chin, thoughtful. Finnian brightened as he remembered those cute little thumb-sized beads growing near the end of the greenhouse. 

“Yes! Red dates! I remember Mr. Sebastian buying them on a sale for imported plants and fruit—“ 

“Well then, that’ll do. Let’s go pick some. I know a little remedy to help cure your little friend.” Lau said, standing up and offering a hand to the other.

Finnian froze, and slowly looked up at Lau. 

The rays from the sun shone from behind Lau’s head, giving him a sort of ethereal glow. A choir began to play in Finnian’s ears and fresh tears of joy sprung from his eyes.

“M-Mr. Lau…! THANK YOU!!!” Finnian leapt up in joy and swept the man in a tight — _but not too tight!_ — hug, swinging him around and around and around. 

“Eh?” Lau said, stunned, as the world around him blurred, leaving only the flushed, overjoyed expression of this stupidly odd… and yet wonderfully naïve little garden boy.

Finnian continued to laugh, the joyful tones echoing in the warmth of the sun.

* * *

 

After boiling the medicine in the kitchen and bringing it out to feed Emily, Finnian was relieved to see her visibly breathing again. Lau said she would be fine after an hour’s worth of rest. Just enough time till Snake returned from his errands in London.

“Ahhh… I’m so relieved!” Finnian said, wiping away a bead of sweat from his brow. “Thank goodness Emily is going to be okay!”

Lau shrugged and turned around. 

“Well, now that my job here is done… though come to think of it, I just helped you out a great deal, didn’t I, Mr. Gardener?” Lau said, the leer evident in his tone. 

Finnian nodded vigorously. 

“Yes! You did! You were a great biiig help, Mr. Lau,” Finnian emphasised the _big_ by stretching his arms up into the air. “And please, call me Finny!”

‘ _That’s not the only thing of mine that’s big_ ,’ Lau cheekily thought to himself. 

“Well then, would you also do me a _biiig_ favour in return?” The merchant asked, mind already beginning to devise plans that would utilise the gardener’s strength to his advantage. 

Maybe have him blow a hole in that new cruise liner from the Starline company that threatened to interfere with his cargo route? 

Steal the latest treasures shipped over from Egypt from the African ships? Eliminate all the Italian Mafia still lurking about in his territory? 

“Yes, anything, Mr. Lau! I trust you, now that you’ve helped Emily— I see you’re not a bad person after all!” Finnian said sincerely, not noticing his slip-up. 

His eyes were as clear as the cloudless sky above, sparkling at Lau’s stunned face. 

There was a pause. Lau cursed violently in his mind. He had no need for a sweet little tart like this to get his hands dirty for him. He didn’t want the responsibility, he didn’t want the hassle. God knows the kind of tantrum the Earl would throw if he ever found out. Not to mention that butler. 

He shivered. Scary!

“Hm… Well then, how about a kiss?” Lau joked. He could at least get some entertainment out of this—

Or at least, what he _thought_ was entertainment until Finnian’s firm hands reached over and grasped his jaw — it pinched a little, but he’s had worse — leaning in and smooching him gently with those soft, plump lips. 

They stayed there for three seconds. 

When the gardener pulled away, Lau was, for the first time in a long time, stunned speechless. 

“Was that okay?” Finnian asked curiously. “I’ve never kissed anyone before, so I’m not sure if I did it quite right…” The strawberry blonde frowned, looking worried. 

Lau took a step back. 

“Mr. Lau?” Finnian asked curiously, unused to the quiet nature of his Chinese companion. “Are you okay?”

Lau forced a pained smile and briskly turned around, walking back to the entrance of the manor, leaving a puzzled Finnian behind him. 

"Eh? Was it something I said...?" 

Lau's cheeks burned a bright red, furious with himself for leaving without getting the upper-hand. He should have teased the kid, made _him_ blush instead!

_**Him!**_ That stupid, naïve, annoyingly loud and _adorable_ little boy gardener! 

Oh, how he hated the English.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blaaaaaagh Lau is such a hard character to write. Nobody really knows what he's thinking. I feel like he went a little out of character at the end, but oh well, he's human too isn't he? 
> 
> I don't particularly ship these two together but I just thought it'd be fun. I think Lau and Sebastian, and then Finnian with Phipps or Snake would be my OTPs from Kuroshitsuji. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a collection of one-shots where Finnian interacts with the other characters, be it major or minor, and makes new friends, gaining the favour and adoration from those around him. He needs to be appreciated more!
> 
> I'll also be exploring a little more of Finnian's character development, his personality and his past. Other pairings might be included in the long-run, and the rating might go up. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!


End file.
